Red Ducks
by Trainmaster64
Summary: Duck has been feeling down upon himself recently, thanks to memories of his past and some fairly low opinions of himself from others and from his own mind. A foreign visitor from another land takes it upon herself to show him just how much he really means to her and to himself. REQUEST BY BELLE-FIRE-ENGINE.


Duck the Great Western Engine was resting quietly in a siding. The sun shone down upon him, bathing him in a warm, friendly glow of light and warmth. He had finished all of his work for the moment, and was resting 'on call,' waiting in the yards at Haultraugh until a job came in for him. With no one around to talk to him, Duck was taking the opportunity to catch up on some sleep before work caught up with him again.

His thoughts were busy and muddled… Duck saw the engines in his mind, working with him, talking to him, laughing with him, laughing at him… teasing him… Castles and Kings from years gone by, mocking him and his brothers… the news that his family was falling back home… the engines sending him away while the Diesel smirked with triumph… no one liked him, no one COULD like him…

Suddenly, there was a great whoosh of wind, and Duck couldn't help but open his eyes, wincing at the new shock of the cool air against his tanks. "Ohh… stupid wind… I was resting well too…"

"… yes you were… and you were SO cute while you were doing it too…"

Duck jumped – he had heard a voice. Looking to either side, and directly in front of him, no one appeared to be around him. "Who's there?"

No one replied; Duck, thinking that perhaps he had invented the whole thing, slowly began to drift off into a peaceful slumber once again. His thoughts began to change… the laughter of faceless engines and trucks from his past… the funny looking tank engine… how strange he was, with his pannier tanks… and how odd he was… not a proper tank engine like Thomas or Percy, or Belle or Whiff… no, he wasn't like them at all…

Then, suddenly, he felt something very strange upon his brow – it felt like a pair of lips, gently kissing his brow. Blushing furiously, Duck wrinkled his brow and opened his eyes again. "All right, who's there? What ARE you doing? What's out there?"

But no reply came to him; once again, all was silent and calm. Nothing appeared to be anywhere around him. The yards were empty, save for a few old trucks enjoying a nice nap in the sunshine, and all the people were at the platform – his crew had even gone away, checking on timetables in the station and getting refreshment to cool down. Duck was all alone.

Until he suddenly saw the strangest sight before his eyes: out of nowhere, it seemed, a white and tan colored creature appeared before him, and kissed him on the lips. The creature kissed him with deep passion, caressing his cheeks while kissing him, as Duck could only goggle in pure shock and surprise. He was powerless to do anything.

Then, without a word, the creature was gone again. Everything was still and calm once more. Duck blinked; had it all been a dream? Had everything been just a strange vision from the heat of the day? Had he imagined the whole thing? He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, or indeed if anything had even happened at all. The tank engine groaned; things were very strange indeed. Closing his eyes, Duck began to drift off into sleep once again – only this time, his eyes were kept slightly open… just in case…

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. You say you saw…"

"A strange creature, flying in the air."

"And it…"

"Kissed me, yes. It kissed me and then disappeared."

Oliver guffawed with laughter as Duck seethed in silence, while the Scottish Twins also began to snort. The tank engine's tale was not finding quite the same audience and respect that he had hoped for, as he attempted to explain what had happened to him. Looking back upon it, he knew that he sounded just as foolish as they no doubt saw him – nevertheless, he knew what he had seen and what had happened, and was desperate for answers.

"But what was it, though? What did I see? Have any of you ever seen anything like it?"

"You mean a flying creature that likes to kiss steam engines? No, never!" Oliver roared with laughter. "Nothing like that ever existed before, and nothing like it ever will! I think you've been out in the sun too long, old friend – you may need to go in for a boiler flushing!"

Duck scowled. "I know what I saw… I think… it was very strange; it was white and tan, with… with wings, I think… and small pointed ears… I think it may have been a bat…"

"Maybe, Mister Duck, that is what you saw," Toad chimed in helpfully. "You could have seen a bat from one of the old sheds flying out, and it simply ran into you with its blindness."

"No, Toad – it's not like that – this one had a full body and… and she… s-she kissed me…" Duck couldn't help but blush deeply; he knew what his reaction to it had been.

"Don't tell me you actually LIKED it?" Oliver snorted even more, but began to stop as Duck looked determined and resolute. "You did… you apparently saw something… and you did like it… that's so different…"

"I figured you wouldn't understand," said Duck darkly. "You don't believe me… how could you understand… no one would; no one could! I don't even understand it! But I have to live with this now…"

"Easy, Duck – I wasn't saying anything about it!" Oliver backtracked quickly.

"You were, don't deny it. You were talking about me. You think I'm very different… not like the other tank engines out there… and you're right. I'm not. I'm stuffy and stubborn, and look funny to boot. But I know what I saw, and I know what I felt – and if I liked it, so what?"

"Nothing, Duck! Nothing at all!"

"Forget it… you don't understand… you never would…"

Oliver's calls to Duck were lost on him as he disappeared into the night; the tank engine needed some time to think about things. Looking worried for his friend, Oliver resolved to go out and try to find him in the morning, and try to talk some sense into him and apologize. Closing his eyes, it was not long before sleep overtook him.

No one saw a pair of eyes in the window of the sheds, filling with tears as they quickly vanished.

* * *

Sitting in a cold, dark siding on the edge of the yards, Duck groaned wearily – things had gotten far too confusing for him. Everything was so strange… he had been kissed by a strange bat-like creature… and he had liked it? Enjoyed it? Wanted more? He didn't even know what had kissed him… or if it was even real…

"What's wrong, sweetie?" came a voice from somewhere close to him.

Duck froze; it was the same voice. The same voice that had whispered so sweetly and softly to him before, in she warm sun… no. It couldn't be. It could not be the same voice… but it was.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"… s-show yourself…" Duck said bravely, trying to remain calm. "… l-let me see you…"

"Of course, sweetie," said the voice, and then the creature appeared before him. Duck goggled; he could do little else except stare at this bizarre and yet unique creature that had appeared before him. This was something he had never seen before; it looked like a bat in some ways, but had the build of a very beautiful woman in others. Certainly, she had big, round eyes and full lips, but they were paired with a set of pointed wings and ears. Wearing a pink and black skin-tight suit and a pair of long white boots, she was the strangest and yet most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

"I…" Duck was unable to say any more, for the creature had flown closer to him. "I… um…" Feeling his face flush deeply, the tank engine simply closed his eyes from pure confusion, embarrassment, and distress from his inner feelings.

"… open your eyes… and look at me…"

Duck was helpless to resist. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw the creature inches from his face. She looked so beautiful and lovely to him at that moment that he couldn't help himself from accepting her kiss. The instant his lips met hers, he knew instantly that it no longer mattered if he was never believed or accepted by any of his friends again – all he knew now was this, in the here and now, and that he was truly content and happy.

"… mmm… you're a very good kisser…" The creature blushed lightly, smiling softly at Duck. "… my name's Rouge… and I've been watching you for a very long time, Duck… I've seen you and like you a lot… you're not stuffy or stubborn… you're cute and different, and kind and caring, and I really love you…"

It took Duck a moment to come up with anything to say to this; he was simply overwhelmed with different emotions. He was unsure if he was going to cry from it. "… h-how did you g-get here?" Duck finally asked, lost in her eyes. "… you're not f-from around here…"

Rouge looked thoughtful for a moment, almost morose. In an instant, Duck felt that he had spoken out of line, until she began to explain. "I lived in a different world… with different creatures… it was a very strange place, Duck… but lovely… until an evil man named Doctor Robotnik created a machine, that hit me with its beam… I don't know exactly how it worked or why it did what it did… or even what he was planning to do with it… all I know is that I ended up here…"

"… I'm so sorry…" Duck felt dreadful; he could scarce imagine what it would have been like to lose one's entire life in an instant.

"… thank you, sweetie… it's not your fault, though… sometimes, I r-really do miss it all…" For a moment, Rouge simply took deep breaths to calm herself, snuggling into Duck and calming herself. "… but then, when I realized I could not return, I decided to make a new life here… I've lived here in these woods, and have managed to get lots of my own supplies to keep me safe and well here… I don't think anyone would like it if I simply paraded myself through town, would they?"

Duck chuckled, agreeing. "They're not used to such strange things as that… n-not that I think you're strange, mind," he added quickly, upon seeing her face. "I mean, y-you're very pretty… I mean, f-for a female b-bat lady, I MEAN, erm, I…" The poor engine was becoming more and more flustered as he struggled for words, something that had certainly never happened before.

Rouge giggled. "You love me, don't you…"

"… y-yes…"

"… you want to kiss me…"

"… absolutely…"

"… so have I, Duck… for a long time… I know it's a bit different, us liking each other, but… how is it wrong, really?"

"It isn't… not to me…" Duck was lost in her eyes, flushed with color. "… there's been stranger out there… you love me, I love you… what's wrong with it?"

"… nothing…" Rouge softly kissed Duck's lips, who responded with a gentle, quiet passion. His lips caressed hers, his tongue being very gentle and soft against hers as they continued to kiss each other. The bat could only tremble with the way Duck was treating her; no one had ever treated her like this before… with such gentle restraint and deep, committed love and care for her very being… she had known, of course, through watching him, that he was a kind a caring engine… but never had she realized how deep and caring he could be.

It was a surprise to Duck when Rouge started to cry into him. Soon, he realized why – she was deeply in love with him… with him, the funny-looking tank engine… for whatever reason, she loved him with all of her heart, though she did not even know him… or perhaps she did… she HAD been watching him for a long time; she had seen him go about his everyday business and life. She clearly saw things in him no one else could… things that made him feel happy to be alive… it was in that instant that he knew. He loved her.

Whispering words of kindness and love into her ears, Duck stayed with Rouge in the siding all night long, as they fell asleep together… she, resting on his bufferbeam and curled up in utter contentment for the first time since landing in this world… he, dozing with pure happiness and strong love for her…

Nothing would ever be the same again for either of them. In that one moment, everything in their own respective worlds had changed. However, neither of them were to regret it… and neither of them would ever be willing to change it.


End file.
